Surgical clamping means



June 18, 1957 K. A. KAPP 2,796,065

SURGICAL CLAMPING MEANS Filed May 12, 1955 16 1?, I 2+ i E f/VENTOR I 5Y KHRL n- KAP'P United States Patent SURGICAL CLAMPING MEANS Karl A.Kapp, Cleveland, Ohio Application May 12, 1955, Serial No. 507,830

4 Claims. (Cl. 128-346) The present invention relates to surgicalforceps and clamping devices and is particularly directed to forceps andclamping devices used in surgery to grip, clamp, restrict and coarctatetubular body vessels and tissues. Devices of this type should grip andhold tubular body vessels and tissues without damage to prevent formingof adhesions and other complications.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide improved grippingand clamping means for surgical forceps and similar devices and permitgripping, holding and coarctation of tubular body vessels and tissues,blood vessels, etc., without injury or penetration of their outsidewalls, the clamping means including cooperating rows of frustums ofpyramids of polygonal bases having the frustums arranged in offsetrelation with respect to each other .to align frustums of one row withthe spaces between frustums of another row.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved clampingmeans for surgical forceps and similar devices, the clamping meansincluding rows of frustums of pyramids of rectangular base havingfrustums of different rows arranged in offset relation to the frustumsof another row to effect cooperation of frustums of one row with thespaces between frustums of another row and permit by bending andcoarctation gripping of tubular body vessels and tissues without injurythereto by embedding the frustums in the tubular body vessels andtissues. Clamping means or jaws of the type referred to above, whichinclude rows of frustums of pyramids arranged to each other in themanner described above, are well suited for surgical clamping devices inwhich the clamping jaws include lengthwise ribs and grooves to permitcoarctation by bending or kinking, provided, the frustums forming therib in one jaw and the groove in the other jaw are specifically shapedand approach of the jaws is limited to prevent biting and/or shearingaction.

A further object of the invention therefor is the provision of clampingmeans for surgical forcep and clamping devices embodying two clampingjaws, a first one constructed by a clamping portion with converging sidewalls and V-shaped cross slots to provide a jaw having a single row offrustums of pyramids and a second one constructed by a clamping portionwith converging side walls, V-shaped cross slots and a longitudinalgroove extended lengthwise of the jaw to provide a jaw having parallelrows of frustums of pyramids, with the rows arranged in laterally andlongitudinally offset relation to the frustums of the first jaws so asto extend the latter frustums opposite the longitudinal groove in thesecond aw.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention has certainother marked superiorities which clearly distinguish it from presentlyknown structures and devices of this type. These improvements orcharacteristics, embodying certain novel features of construction anddesign, are clearly set forth in the appended claims, and a preferredform of embodiment of the invention is Patented June 18, 195.7

2 hereinafter shown with reference to the accompanying drawing formingpart of the specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a pair of surgical forceps embodying theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the forceps shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a substantially enlarged fragmentary plan view of the endportion of the forceps shown in Fig. 1', disclosing in detail the shapeand relative position of the clamping teeth-like frustums of the twoclamping jaws of the forceps.

Fig. 4 is a transverse cross section taken on line 45-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of the frustums on the upper jaw ofthe forceps, the view being taken from line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side view of the frustums of the lower jaw ofthe forceps, the view being taken from line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Referring now more in detail to the exemplified form of the inventionshown in the drawing, reference numeral 2 denotes a forceps, the twolever members 3 and 4 of which are pivotally connected to each other incrossover relationship by pin 5. Lever members 3 and 4 include at theirone end portions 6 finger-receiving rings 7 and cooperating toothprojections 8 of a releasable latching arrangement 9. The other endportions of lever members 3 and 4 form cooperating upper and lowerjaw'rnembers 10 and 11 provided with specifically constructed toothedclamping surface 12 and 14 on opposed top and bottom portions of the jawmembers.

Upper clamping surface 12 of jaw member 10 having substantiallyrectangular cross section embodies a single row 15 of frustums 16 ofpyramids which extends lengthwise of the jaw member in symmetricalrelation to the longitudinal axis thereof. This row of frustums 16 isformed by slanted, approximately 60, wall portions 17, 17' of sidewalls, 18, 18 of jaw member 10, which wall portions effect narrowing ofthe bottom of the jaw member to a width of about one third of the widthof top 20 of said jaw member, and V-shaped grooves 21 intersecting at aright angle in laterally spaced relation to each other the bottom faceand slanted wall portions 17, 17. Each frustum 16 in row 15 is formedfrom a pyramid of rectangular base and includes a face 22 arrangedparallel to the rectangular base.

Lower clamping surface 14 of jaw member 11, shaped and dimensionedsimilar to clamping jaw 10, embodies two rows 23, 23 of frustums 24extended lengthwise of the jaw member in symmetrical laterally offsetrelation to the longitudinal axis thereof. Rows 23, 23' of frustums 24are formed by slanted, approximately 60, wall portions 25, 25 of sidewalls 26, 26 of jaw member 11, which wall portions effect narrowing ofthe top of the jaw member to a width of about one fourth of the Width ofbottom 28 of said jaw member, and V- shaped grooves 29 intersecting at aright angle in laterally spaced relation to each other the top face andslanted wall portions 25, 25. V-shaped grooves 29 intersect the verticalside walls 30 of a longitudinal channel 31 of rectangular cross sectionin the top portion of jaw member 11, channel 31 being slightly deeperthan V-shaped grooves 29 and wider than faces 22 of frustums 16. Eachfrustum 24 of rows 23, 23' is the lower portion of one half pyramid ofrectangular base and includes a top face 32 arranged parallel to therectangular base.

Lever members 3 and 4 of the forceps include at 33 and 34 stop shouldersadapted to arrest in predetermined position further movement of jawmembers 10 and 11 toward each other and prevent shearing of the tubularvessels or tissues bent and coarcted by frustums 16 and 24, coarctationand bending being due to lateral and longitudinal offsetting of frustums16 and 24 with re spect to each other.

Coarctation and bending of a blood vessel by clamping jaws constructedin accordance to the invention is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing inwhich blood vessel 35 is gripped, bent and coarcted by frustums- 16 and24 of upper and lower jaw members and 11. As shown, jaw members 10 and11 have been arrested in the manner described above, faces 22 and 32 offrustums 16 and 24 being embedded in the outer Wall 36 of blood vessel35 so as to be kinked and coarcted by the relation of frustums 16 and 24with respect to each other, Bending and coarctation of blood vessels byjaw members 10 and 11 will take place in a series of places, as the rows15, 23 and 23 include approximately 26 to 30 frustums per inch andeffect holding, bending and coarctation of tubular body vessels andtissues in longitudinal and laterally spaced areas. Preferably, the topsurface edges of the frustums are slightly dulled and when embedded inouter walls of tubular body vessels and tissues will engage spaced areasthereof without penetration or damage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In surgical clamping means a pair of cooperating jaw members mountedto be shifted toward and away from each other, the first one of said jawmembers including a clamping surface having a single row of pyramidalfrustum-shaped teeth and the second one of said jaw members including aclamping surface having two par-allelly spaced rows of pyramidalfrustnm-shaped teeth arranged in symmetrical relation to the row ofteeth of the first clamping surface, and a channel of rectangular crosssection arranged between said two rows of pyramidal frustum-shapedteeth.

2. A surgical clamping means as described in claim 1, including stoppingshoulder means arranged to positiveiy stop movement of the jaw memberstoward each other before the single row of pyramidal frustum-shapedteeth of the first jaw member enters the rectangular channel of thesecond jaw member.

3. A surgical clamping means as described in claim 1, wherein the sidefaces of the pyramidal frustum-shaped teeth of the first one of said jawmembers are slanted at an angle of approximately sixty degrees.

4. In a pair of surgical forceps including a pair of pivoted levermembers having finger rings at their one ends and jaw members at theiropposite ends the improvement of a single row of pyramidalfrustum-shaped teeth in one of the jaw members, two parallel rows ofpyramidal frustum-shaped teeth in the other one of the jaw membersarranged in symmetrical relation to the row of teeth in the first jawmember, a longitudinal slot of rectangular cross section between thesaid two parallel rows of pyramidal frustum-shaped teeth, and stoppingshoulders on said lever members arranged to positively stop movement ofthe jaw members toward each other when such members are extendedsubstantially parallel to each other and the clamping faces of theirfrustum-shaped teeth are extended in substantially the same plane toprovide space in said slot for clamped, kinked and coarcted tissue.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,668,538 Baker Feb. 9, 1954

